I was diagnosed with Congenital Hemihypertrophy (CH) at the age of about 6 months old by my father who noticed I had one bottom cheek larger than the other when he was changing my nappy! CH is relatively uncommon disorder which in short leaves me with one side of my body slightly larger than the other. The only place this is noticeable is on my legs and it became evident from early on that differing leg lengths were going to cause me problems.
I was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital and in January 1993 (I was 11 years old) I underwent my first operation - an epiphysiodesis of the right fibula and tibia. The aim was to destroy the growth plate in my right leg so that my left leg could catch up - this was undertaken just before my pre-pubescent growth spurt. At this stage I already had a 4 cm difference between my right and left leg - right leg being longer.
This surgery proved to be successful as my left leg caught up with my right leaving a minimal difference between them. However, as I continued to grow it became evident that something was not quite right. In 1997 it was confirmed that the growth plate in my right leg had not been destroyed equally causing the outside of my leg to grow at a slightly faster rate than the inside of my leg, causing me to develop a varus deformity of the proximal tibia - in other words a slight bowing of the leg from the knee to the ankle. I was advised that although I may not present any symptoms for 20-30 years there was an increased chance that I would develop degenerative arthritis in my knee if I left this un-treated. I was left to think about my options of either leaving it and living with the consequences in the future or undergoing corrective surgery in the future to correct the alignment of my leg.
On a day to day basis my condition does not effect me. I am a very active individual who attends the gym regularly, I am a mad keen skier and on the go constantly with a very busy work and social life. The knowledge that I would need further surgery hung-over me, however I decided to complete my schooling and get a couple of years of my career under my belt before continuing with any further treatment. There was also the possibility that as time progressed science would also progress and new and more effective techniques would become available as possible options.
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